Prepare your display
- Clean the screen and use a comfortable viewing distance.
- Set browser zoom to 100% and use the display’s native resolution.
- Disable night light, color filters, and dynamic contrast.
- Use moderate brightness, especially on OLED displays.
Understand the result
This flow records your own visual observations. It does not automatically diagnose a panel and cannot replace a colorimeter, photodiode, or professional inspection.
What the five steps cover
First, cycle solid colors and look for a point that remains dark, bright, or unusually colored in the same place. A speck of dust can resemble a pixel fault, so clean the surface safely and compare more than one color. Second, look for larger patches or bands on neutral fields. For OLED, briefly check for interface outlines at moderate brightness; a temporary afterimage is not automatically permanent burn-in.
Third, compare gradients and dark-to-light steps for sudden changes or missing detail. A visible band can arise anywhere in the browser-to-panel path, so the step records an observation rather than naming a failed component. Fourth, let the active tab collect browser animation timing while the window stays on the display you want to check. Fifth, follow the moving object and compare trails or bright halos at the same speed. This is a visual motion comparison, not a physical millisecond measurement.
Make the result useful
Mark each step based on what you actually saw. If you are unsure, choose the uncertain option instead of treating a borderline patch as a diagnosis. Repeat a suspicious step at your usual brightness and viewing distance, and compare it with ordinary apps or video. If a problem persists, note the input, cable, resolution, picture mode, and browser before contacting the retailer or manufacturer.
The summary lives in local browser storage; clearing site data or using another browser will not carry it over automatically. You can copy it when you choose. The flow requires no account, and it does not upload your observations by default. Use the full catalog for a focused follow-up or the new-monitor checklist for a more deliberate return-window inspection.
Limits and safety
Keep high-brightness and OLED static fields brief. Browser patterns cannot determine whether an afterimage is permanent, whether a panel meets a pixel warranty, or whether a display is calibrated. Browser cadence can be affected by power saving, another window, variable refresh, and software load. Objective luminance, contrast ratio, gamut coverage, color error, and physical response time require suitable instruments. This guided check is a practical first pass, not a substitute for hardware testing or the maker’s service policy.
Before starting the timer
Pick the screen you mean to inspect and keep the browser window on it. If you use more than one monitor, moving the window partway through the flow can make timing comparisons meaningless. Set a comfortable brightness, clean the surface gently, and allow the panel to warm up. Use its native resolution and your everyday input connection. Browser fullscreen may require your approval; if it is unavailable, the test remains usable in the window, but you should account for the area hidden by browser controls.
Turn off temporary color changes such as night light for one pass, but do not assume that every feature must stay disabled in daily use. The goal is to observe both a controlled baseline and the settings you normally prefer. If you change picture mode between steps, note that in your summary.
How to interpret an uncertain step
A single unusual frame or faint mark is a prompt to repeat the observation, not evidence of a failing panel. If a dot disappears after cleaning or changes location relative to the screen when you move your head, inspect the surface again. If a broad patch only appears in a phone photo, compare it with your eyes from normal distance. If a gray afterimage is visible on OLED, stop the static pattern, return to normal varied content, and follow the maker’s guidance before deciding whether it persists.
If the cadence estimate is unstable, keep the tab visible and try again with heavy applications closed. If a motion trail changes when you alter overdrive, repeat at the same speed and background; a bright inverse halo can be more distracting than the original dark trail. The result choices are deliberately observational. “Unsure” means you need a better comparison, not that the screen failed.
What comes after five minutes?
Use the report as a concise record of the conditions and visible effects. A new monitor owner can compare the report with the retailer’s current terms and the display’s own settings menu. Someone investigating color-critical work should use a calibrated instrument rather than drawing a Delta E or gamut conclusion from browser patterns. If only one step needs another look, go straight to the corresponding focused tool instead of repeatedly running the entire sequence.
For isolated points, open the pixel test; for broad gray-field variation, try uniformity. Use the gradient pattern for tonal breaks and the motion pattern for trails. Those pages explain what each visual result can and cannot mean. The five-minute flow keeps the first pass manageable; it cannot replace the more careful, symptom-specific check.